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Roar Rookie
Joined April 2021
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There are two certainties in Australian life: that Vegemite will continue to be Australia’s national spread and that Mitchell Starc will have the new ball in his hand on the opening day of Australia’s summer of cricket. At least, the last one held true until this year.
Much has been written about Origin eligibility in the wake of the Ronaldo Mulitalo farce. For some reason, despite the eligibility criteria being “tightened” in 2012, the fact is that there are still loopholes.
The 2015 NRL grand final was, for a Queenslander, one of the most epic rugby league moments.
The witching hour for the World Test Championship is upon us.
Greg Chappell has seen almost everything. He is a respected member of the former Australian captains club but is one of the greatest batsmen Australia has ever produced.
The entire world – not just the sporting world – is watching India.
Cricket appears to be at odds with itself about the best way forward and which format of the game is the best to promote across the world.
Who is the best leader you can think of?
Richie Benaud once uttered, “Captaincy is 90 per cent luck and 10 per cent skill, but don’t try it without that 10 per cent.”
A bowler with a better strike rate than McGrath and others who takes them at an average of 26 is nothing to be sneezed at. He’s done well the last couple of matches in WI he’s done well, but I’m hoping he finds form again in the Shield.
Will the real Mitchell Starc please stand up?
He took 6 wickets at plenty in the second half and barely played in the first half. So, yes.
Will the real Mitchell Starc please stand up?
I loved continuous cricket! It was just that little bit extra that I needed. Mind you, I was rubbish at it, constantly got out and all that, but it was still a fun tweak.
The radical change needed to fix Australia's T20 middle-order problem
I think staying in the UK was the best decision for him and for Australia in general. He’ll learn way more over there than on a pointless T20 tour to WI.
The radical change needed to fix Australia's T20 middle-order problem
I like the suggestion, Ronan. I’d like to see something similar, but have Labuschagne in the side instead. He’s been good in T20s in his limited exposure so far.
The radical change needed to fix Australia's T20 middle-order problem
Even with the players who are absent, Australia’s biggest problem is that they lack a proper T20 finisher. In their current squad, they have too many openers and not enough middle-order bats. Someone like Labuschagne or Smith would be helpful in that regard. Give Ashton Turner a run as a finisher or Dan Christian. They both have the credentials to do it. Also, until Game 3, Starc really had not shown the best version of himself. It seems to me that he’s seriously overthinking his game. Cummins will help, but I’d love to see Behrendorff and Swepson come into the side as well.
Aussie cricket's next step forward isn't in players, but coaches
Maybe not a handover but maybe a penalty? That’d stop it really quickly.
The two on one strip and other NRL rule changes I'd like to see
Well said, Mary, and well written. You make your point very clearly and concisely. Having been a single bloke with “urges”, I understand where Gal is coming from. At the same time, there are much, much greater sacrifices that have been made that ought to be applauded more highly. You can’t live without sex for 2 weeks in an Origin camp? You probably don’t deserve to play Origin anyway. The poor West Coast Fever coach who had to leave her 17-month-old at home must be worried sick about the poor kid! Having a kid the same age, I know I would be. If there is a way to prioritise families during this time, then that should be explored. Well done to the NRL for also moving players’ families up into the bubble as well.
Lockdowns are hard for everyone, not just single footy players with an 'urge'
Factor in BBL, IPL, Shield, County, PSL and everything else, some have played heaps. Others, not so much.
Aussie selection wildcard that could cut down the West Indies
I’ll be watching and supporting the Aussies.
Will fans support an Olympic Games clouded in controversy?
Loving the push to include Swepson in here. He was one of the key reasons as to why QLD won the Shield final this year and why the Heat caught fire (metaphorically speaking) at the end of the BBL season. I’ve rated Swepson for a long time. Nice to see him getting recognition.
Aussie selection wildcard that could cut down the West Indies
Best lineup by a long way! I rate Matty Wade as a T20 batsman (he did well in my BBL fantasy side last year too), and McDermott is a smokey, I think.
Aussie selection wildcard that could cut down the West Indies
Is there a priority? Seems rather like another pointless short-form series with very little relevance to either side. No wonder the players complain of fatigue…
Aussie selection wildcard that could cut down the West Indies
My family always used the Hiace. Plenty of room in there.
Origin eligibility rule change that could fix vexing issue
As I said above, I think there’s still scope for the NRL to step in and rule on eligibility in these scenarios. These situations are still very much the exception, not the rule.
Origin eligibility rule change that could fix vexing issue
My heritage is part Hong Kong Chinese. I could theoretically represent them in many sports, but I choose not to (mainly cause I’m not good enough). A rather major issue, if you ask me. Hahahaha.
Origin eligibility rule change that could fix vexing issue
Yes, the case of Billy Moore is a unique one. He moved back to QLD after being born in Tenterfield, I understand, and so yes, therefore would be eligible for NSW. There’s a point in which a player could still appeal to the NRL for final eligibility, so ultimately in both the cases of Moore and Sterlo, the NRL probably would have made the same decision as the state that they represented.
Origin eligibility rule change that could fix vexing issue
MIGA? (Make the Internationals Great Again) Sounds like a good slogan to me.
I could legally represent the USA in any sport with dual citizenship. I’d have no issues doing so if I were a professional sportsperson in a relatively minor sport in the USA (league, cricket, union, etc.). I don’t see any issue with their wanting to represent their countries in a sport that needs to grow.
Let’s make the international game great, not just the Kangaroos
This is called hyperbole. It’s more often used by writers in creative pieces rather than in formal pieces, but I utilised it here to provide a bit of a chuckle, some lighthearted banter and to demonstrate the sheer dominance of the Cowboys and Broncos during 2015. Whilst being a Queenslander myself, I try to keep my writing neutral and generally make fun of anyone and everyone rather than one side. Apologies if that did not come across.
Culture - the missing piece of Queensland’s NRL sides
Both clubs have suffered from an exodus of seasoned players. Green should’ve blooded newer players earlier to learn from the likes of Scott, Cooper, Thurston and Morgan so that they could take on some of the leadership now.
Culture - the missing piece of Queensland’s NRL sides
Interesting point about the limited 1 out plays. That’s something that the Broncos and Cowboys (and the Titans to a lesser extent) do a lot. That was a feature under Paul Green for the Cowboys, and it looks like it’s come into the Maroons game plan now as well. The Cowboys seem to be getting fitter as the season wears on, and whilst they may not be able to compete with the top echelon this year (and possibly not for most of next year either), as their younger players come through and develop well (like the Deardens, Asi’s and the Hamiso’s), they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in a few years. The Broncos are still a few years off. They need a serious culture think.
Culture - the missing piece of Queensland’s NRL sides
Or the Cowboys signing Ben Barba and attempting to sign Todd Carney. Who knows? Next, some NRL side will be signing that horrible criminal Israel Folau! What would the world have come to then! 😛
Culture - the missing piece of Queensland’s NRL sides
You have a point insofar as I failed to define what a good or bad club culture was. I violated my own rule of good writing and that was to define my terms. That was my bad.
I mentioned the fact that concerns have recently been raised about Holbrook’s coaching because I literally just finished reading an article about it. Any club that surrenders a 22-0 lead and loses the match has to have questions asked of its coaching.
Thanks for the comment and always open to suggestions as to how I can improve.
Culture - the missing piece of Queensland’s NRL sides
He played much of his career in a side Taylor, Slater, Boon, S Waugh and Healy with the odd cameos from Hayden, Blewett and Lehmann. It wasn’t his role to make runs all the time. Steve was more consistent at 5 (and that’s reflected in his average), but that’s often because it was left to Steve to make a lot of the runs when the game was on the line.
Mark Waugh was far better than his Test average would suggest
This is absolutely the issue with playing 3 formats of cricket. You can be on song in one format and totally off in another. It’s different charging in bowling 4 overs or bowling 20 in a day looking for swing and keeping runs tight.
I’d prefer to see Neser given a proper go if Starc isn’t fully fit. He did great things last Shield season and has been the “nearly” mean of Australian cricket for awhile now.
Will the real Mitchell Starc please stand up?